


Her

by pastelleur



Category: I Love Yoo (Webcomic)
Genre: AeGi, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Red String of Fate, Romance, i guess?, i'm not even sure
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-06-05 06:09:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15164348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pastelleur/pseuds/pastelleur
Summary: Nol, yet still on his 4th grade, wouldn't have thought that he will see something much scarier than seeing his father and Mrs. Hirahara's eyes flare on the sight of him. There's a red thread tied on his left hand's pinky.





	Her

 

A frantic Nol stood up from his bed with his eyes fixed on his left hand's pinky. He even tried to rub his eyes anxiously to have a clear view of his pinky, just in case he is having one of those days where his eyes felt heavy and cloudy that he had to tell his Nana because it scared him. He raised his left hand. Though he had just woken up, he's sure he isn't just seeing things now that he can see clearly with a few rubs and blinks of his eyes.

There's a red thread tied on his pinky.

_What?_

Nol, yet still on his 4th grade, wouldn't have thought that he will see something much scarier than seeing his father and Mrs. Hirahara's eyes flare on the sight of him. He tried to touch the string to see if it is _"real"_ , but the string simply passed his other hand like a ghost. As realization hit him, he screamed at the top of his lungs and searched for his grandmother urgently.

"Nana? Nana!!! There's a string on my finger!"

As soon as Mrs. Lochlainn heard the little boy, she immediately walked towards the source of the voice. She saw the boy, hands shaking, on the living room while desperately trying to pull something off his finger.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?"

She asked, worried of her grandson, as she knew he had always been visited by nightmares every night since he met the Hiraharas and basically called him a mistake. The boy even asked her of what he had done wrong to receive an unpleasant welcome on the contrary of what he had thought would be very awesome, because... who wouldn't want a new member of a family? And heck, Nol has a big brother?! (Nol was so happy when he heard about this.) However, that wasn't the point with Nol and his family. From then on, she understood why Nol would rather be with her. And with her guidance, Nol became a cheerful and playful child despite having been treated like a deviant of his family.

Nol looked at his Nana as he said, "Nana, there's a red string tied on my finger…"

"And I can't even touch or remove it!" he added, while his right hand still fumbled on his little finger.

Mrs. Lochlainn, yet worried of his grandson whom she loved dearly, simply laughed it out. It could be one of Nol's pranks again as she knew the little boy loved pulling them on her. One time, his prank almost got her dying as he jokingly _severed_ his thumb. She thanked heaven when his grandson showed it was just a magic trick.

"Nana, I'm not even kidding."

Nol pouted. He swears, as soon as his Nana laughed, he slightly regretted pulling pranks on her every day. His favourite book " _Only Puns You Would Pee Your Pants_ " is to be blamed for this, yet he can't help because it was _so pun_ to prank his Nana.

"Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry I cannot believe you, though if it is indeed true – perhaps I heard you said that the string was red?"

Nol glanced at his pinky and he nodded. "Am I going to die, Nana?" Anxiously, he asked with a low voice.

Shocked at his question at first, his Nana smiled and told him, "Oh, no, that's silly! Instead, let me tell you an interesting myth about red strings being tied to the pinkies of people."

His grandmother told him to take a sit on the sofa and listen to her story.

But Nol cannot even understand whatever Nana was saying. _Soulmates? Fate? Love?_

_What even–_

_And he thought Nana's story is even more complicated than math in his school, yet his classmates would complain how hard math is. He doesn't understand._

Nana, amused of her grandson's dumbfounded look reached to cup his cheeks and said, "You will surely understand someday, sweetie. After all, you're my very handsome and sweet grandson. Your destined one is a lucky person."

Nol smiled at his Nana.

 

* * *

 

On his 6th grade, the red string appeared again.

For the second time in his life.

And he is not having it now that he has a better understanding of love.

_"Nah. Not interested. Love is for adults. I better search for friends."_

The first one was short lived that right after his Nana told him the myth about the red string; it disappeared right after a short nap. He almost believed he was only hallucinating that day, but today – it returned. No, he wouldn't ask his Nana for her help because this time, maybe, he knew what to do.

Nol walked towards their kitchen in the middle of the night and grabbed a knife. He then swung it like an idiot in the air as an attempt to cut the string from his pinky.

But to no avail, it didn't work.

Yet anyway, he decided to just sleep it off because it will be gone anyway.

* * *

 

On his freshman year of high school, he wondered why it never came back.

He thought that maybe something has to be done for it to return, but whatever. He's not really interested, now that he knows love can be very disgusting, _especially with what happened to him_. But still, it got him curious. Maybe his new friends knew about the red strings of what again? Soulmates? Fate? Love?

"Hey, do you two happen to know about the red string _–_ "

"The red string of fate?"

Nol, who now goes by the name of Yeong-Gi as he preferred because someone ruined his name for him and he doesn’t even want to be reminded of it, clapped his hands as he remembered the story of his Nana about the red string of fate when Dieter answered him. He flashed a grin at his friend because he knew about it too.

"Yeah! You knew about that too?"

Soushi interrupted the two. "Yeah, bro. Who doesn't know about it? That story was so frickin' elementary, the whole girls from my school were obsessed of that myth as if it was true."

Nol glanced at his left hand's pinky.

His eyes glistened.

There it is.

_Again._

_The red string._

He gasped that he surprised Soushi and Dieter too.

"What's wrong, Yeong-Gi?"

"Anything wrong, bro?"

_Ah._

_What is this?_

"No, don't worry about me."

Nol laughed even if the string on his pinky bothered him, but he wouldn't want to make them worry.

_"Red string of fate is said to connect two people together by God who are destined lovers."_

Nol remembered his Nana's story.

_"And regardless of time, their places, or the circumstances, the string may stretch and tangle, but never will it break."_

_He wondered who could be at the end of the red string._

_He hoped it won't be after his money or name._

_He hoped it's a nice person._

 

* * *

 

"Mr. Stalker?!"

"Ah, it's you again! Awesome! You remember me."

He's feeling unwell due to the spiked drink he drank from a girl whom he offered help to escape his family's party, and that girl also happened to be the massive crush of his friend Dieter. Also interestingly, she is the same girl who accidentally threw him an orange soda on that burger joint.

Auburn hair.

Red eyes.

He simply cannot take his mind off the girl who threw orange soda on him.

As they converse on how she wanted to get out of the place without being seen by Kousuke, whom she called "Q-TIp" (he thought it was very funny, he hadn't laughed that hard in his life in a while), he thought this could be an opportunity to befriend her as he finds her interesting. _Real._

_Maybe she needs a friend? It's not too late for that too, isn't it?_

"Let's be friends."

 

* * *

 

He was about to leave Sunbucks when he saw Kousuke looking at someone before going the other way.

_Yoo Shin-Ae._

An older lady splashed a drink on her, and it got him concerned.

"Are you okay?"

She looked at his way, pouting as turned to him. "Oh, it's you again…"

"It was nothing, I deserved it so there's no reason to get worried. Now go. No reason for you to keep me compan _–_ "

"Big sister was only trying to help me out!"

The little girl cut her off, explaining in detail what had happened. He carefully listened at what she said.

Now it made sense that the little girl was missing her sister and her sister's friend, and that Shin-Ae was only trying to protect the little girl from the older lady's daughter but got misunderstood. The little girl was lost and scared.

"Don't worry, big bro will help you! Do you remember where was the last place you were with them?"

"No, and I'm so scared because there are a lot of mean people here."

Yeong-Gi smiled warmly at her.

"Don't worry, this lady over here will scare them! _But, aside that… I want you to stay strong."_

Although Yeong-Gi hasn't seen the impact it made to Shin-Ae, _Shin-Ae was reminded of her father from his words._

Her father who told her to stay strong, despite having it bad in life.

_Stay strong._

_It's not your fault._

_Be strong for me._

_For Papa._

"Can you do that for me?"

 

* * *

 

The day of the formal.

Although he was exhausted, he can't take it aside as he is too afraid of his family to stop playing politics. He's also too tired to get reminded of how much of a trash he was on the family. All he wanted was recognition that he is part of the family, yet...

He knows it already.

It's been imprinted on his mind.

_"You're nothing but a mistake."_

They don't need to repeat it all over again.

His relationship with Alyssa also adds up with this with a realization that she's only with him for his name.

Something, somewhere on the back of his mind, is regret.

And when he got inside, he saw his friend _–_

"Shin-Ae?"

 

* * *

 

 

"Those ladies were just really generous when I asked for some food. I didn't expect them to hand us both the whole platter."

"Those ladies didn't give you the food out of generosity, because you know… actually, nevermind."

Yeong-Gi smiled at her. He thought that, maybe, she feels sorry for him. Those ladies gave them the whole platter because they know he was a Hirahara, and who would want to give attention to someone with so much power and money like that?

"No, I get it. You can say it out loud. I hear it all the time."

_It's because…_

"You're really handsome."

(They want my money.)

Though they both look surprised on what they had both said, he's caught off guard when he felt his Nana's comfort and warmth at Shin-Ae; He had to tug his chest from this overwhelming feeling.

 

* * *

 

"ke up _–_ Nol, you are crying. Please, wake up!"

A frantic Nol gasped as he woke up from his sleep, hearing a familiar voice calling his name and patting him on his arms.

_And thank god it was just a nightmare._

"Shin-Ae? Please come here."

His eyes felt blurry and heavy as he reached for Shin-Ae's warm presence. As soon as Nol asked for her to come, she thought he doesn't even have to, as she would hug the heck out of him once he opened his eyes. She heard him desperate, reaching for something in his sleep, and she thought she needs to wake him up to remind him that he is safe.

**_Him._ **

He is free from his family.

Free from burden.

Free from expectations.

Manipulation.

Abuse.

Both him and her.

_Together._

_Safe and home._

He hugged her as tight as he could as he buried his face on the side of her neck. He was crying and sobbing, and Shin-Ae was gently stroking his hair to let him know that he's at the comfort of their home.

_"You will be okay, I'm here."_

He's still sobbing as he told her of what his nightmare was about.

"They are going to take you away from me, Shin-Ae, I'm afraid of what will happen to us _–_ Even Nana, Dieter, Soushi, even Kousuke, your father will be _–_!"

Shin-Ae brought his face near hers, and while she caresses his cheeks, she assured him. "No, please calm down. This is now our life and we have settled that. I will remind you everyday of your worth until you get tired of it. You've been brave, a guy who is sweet, kind, handsome, one of a kind, perfect. And – ah – I love you."

_"I want you to be strong, Yeong-Gi. Nol… Can you do that with me?"_

And he stared at her eyes for a moment.

It's red.

A color which reminds him of the sad memories of his life.

_But._

_The red in her eyes is different._

It's her color that he can feel her oozing love in it.

The same color as the red string on his finger he kept seeing before.

_Warmth._

_Comfort._

_Home._

**_Her._ **

"Yeah… let's do that."

 

* * *

 

 

"I know you wouldn't believe me, but have you ever thought that the story of the red string of fate is real?"

Shin-Ae asked, as she was playing over his left hand that was wrapped around her as they laid on his bed together on a lazy Saturday night.

"I also have something to say about it too. Will you believe it?" Nol, interested with what she was about to say, replied.

He took a glance at his hand.

The red string was there, tied on his left hand's pinky.

"Will you believe me if I say that I can see a red string on my left hand's little finger?"

_And right now he can see it. He isn't sure why it has to appear now. It's driving him mad._

"Crazy, I can see a red thread magically appear on my right hand's little finger too. And it just appeared right now. Do you believe me? I can also see yours!"

_Wha–?_

His eyes widen from what he had heard. He thought he was the only one who's crazy when the people couldn't believe he can actually see a red thread tied on his left hand's little finger.

"So you have yours too?"

"Wait. A. Minute. I wasn't the only one?"

The both looked at each other, Nol while laying on his bed, and Shin-Ae levelling her head towards his.

"When did you first saw the red string?" Nol squinted his eyes as he asked, still couldn't believe that she could see it too.

Shin-Ae took the squinting as challenge when she replied to him with her eyes like his, as if mocking his doubt on her ability to be able to see the red string too. "I saw it when I was 4th grade, mister. When I was asking my father what the hell was that since I heard some girls in my class talk about it like crazy. Few minutes of the talk, I couldn't believe what I saw."

"What? I also had mine on my fourth grade!" Nol replied, surprised of her story.

"I tried talking about it on my 6th grade too when I asked my father again about it in the middle of the night"

Shin-Ae amusingly recalled, yet she remembered not seeing it again 'til her freshman year of high school. She had gone back to Nol's arm as she kept talking.

"I didn't saw the red string again until my freshman year, and I had to talk about it to Maya and Rika."

Nol recalled the instances where he had seen the red string appear on his pinky.

And to his surprise…

It matches with Shin-Ae's.

_–oh my god._

He had a hunch. Maybe the red string appears whenever their destined lover talked about it with someone?

He looked at her right hand's little finger.

And indeed, _there is a red thread tied on it._

_His eyes lit with joy._

 

* * *

 

_…_

_.._

_._

_"I love yoo."_

_He whispered, and he proceeded to plant a kiss on her cheek._

Shin-Ae almost had the urge to hit him because of his overused pun, but she decided not to.

And she kissed him back on his lips.

"I love you too."

 

***

**Author's Note:**

> If you had seen this at fanfiction.net or in the amino app, that's also me! No need to worry! Although I had them posted with different titles because honestly I don't know what to call this fic... I also fixed some grammatical mistakes/errors & has re-written some parts I wanted to change/add.
> 
> Anyway asdfghjkl; I'm crazy for them atm. Cheesy at the end, but nevertheless, I enjoyed writing this (especially that part when Nol had a nightmare - it's my personal favorite headcanon of mine lol). :-)


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